In William Shakespeare's play "Othello," a pledge is made by Desdemona to the troubled Cassio: "Assure thee, if I do vow a friendship, I'll perform it to the last article." Alas, things in that storied tragedy turn out rather messy.

But Saturday at the Four Seasons Hotel, vows were made, renewed and delivered at a 40th anniversary gala, Raise the Roof, celebrating California Shakespeare Theater.

It was a series of vows, professional and personal, that reignited the passion of Jonathan Moscone, who, this season, embarks on his 14th year as Cal Shakes artistic director.

Moscone recently found a new voice with artistic partner Michelle Hensley, founder of Minneapolis' Ten Thousand Things theater company. In conjunction with Intersection for the Arts, Moscone launched Cal Shakes' 40th season last month with an all-female "Twelfth Night" production directed by Hensley.

And days before his November marriage to Darryl Carbonaro, Moscone attended a program for nonprofit arts leaders at Harvard Business School where he met Professor Nancy Koehn. While discussing Shakespeare's modern-day relevance, she reminded Moscone, "Shakespeare didn't write drama, he wrote the truth."

"That just clicked for me," he related to gala-goers. "Shakespeare wrote for everyone - from the queen to the groundlings, poor and working-class audience members who paid a penny to stand at the foot of the stage."

Auctioneer Greg Quirogaled a lively auction of luxe packages that included a hot-ticket item, sold twice, for almost $20K each: a "Mangia Italiano" meal cooked by Carbonaro at the winner's homes.

To acknowledge the theater's 40th, super Cal Shakes supporters (Sharon and Barclay Simpson; Joffa and Ellen Dale) created the Moscone Endowment Fund. The theater commissioned an inspirational Corduroy Media-produced video, titled, "Why Shakespeare?" And cultural philanthropists Nicola Miner and Robert Mailer Anderson offered a $40K challenge grant during the Make-A-Difference pledge drive that easily raised $188K. Those funds directly support Cal Shakes' arts education and community engagement programs, which bring the Bard to such organizations as Civicorps Charter School and the Alameda County Juvenile Detention Center.

Gael force: At the St. Francis Hotel on Monday, Emmy Award-winning TV host Regis Philbinwas mobbed like a rock star by Irish American fans at the Hibernian Newman Club's 50th St. Patrick's Day Luncheon.

Organized by club president and St. Ignatius College Preparatory Alumni Director John "The Wildcat" Ring and VP Joey Nevin, S.F. Giants' sales & marketing director, this lively hooley was the club's largest-ever confab.

Philbin regaled the 800-plus guests with star-studded reminiscences from his days in the business - from David Lettermanand then-governor Ronald Reagan to his youthful obsession with crooner Bing Crosby, whom Philbin wished, one day, to become.

"I finally met Crosby when I was working on the Joey Bishop show," Philbin recalled, "and he serenaded me with 'Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral.' "

Philbin also shared a home video he made from a family trip to Ireland, where he researched his roots and found long-lost family in County Mayo.

The club also produced a video on its 50-year history, which featured local Irish American stalwarts like Kathleen Dowling McDonoughand former Hiberian Treasurer Walt Farrell, who fondly recalled: "When I was a kid, I thought everyone in San Francisco was Irish."

The sold-out fete afforded the Diocese of San Francisco a $10K donation for its Newman Club ministry programs at City College and S.F. State University. The club garnered a mayoral proclamation for its 50th. And Philbin was gifted with a personalized S.F. Giants jersey.